How often should I drive my non-DD truck?

I bought a commuter car last summer and have retired my truck from daily use. I now use it for hauling an occasional load of woodworking supplies or similar, bad weather driving, and outdoor pursuits. It’s a 2011 DCLB Sport model with 158k. When I first bought the car, I used to go almost a month without driving the truck. I now try to drive it to work and back at least once a week (it’s like 5 miles each way). Now that nicer weather is here it’ll get more woods use. But, in general, how often should a vehicle be driven to keep the seals all lubed and all that?

 

Be careful of the critters when you leave it parked, if it’s outside. My 1st gen. would sit durning the week cause I had a work truck and the squirrels took over one week and chewed some wires.

 

Five miles probably isn't enough to get the fluids up to operating temp so maybe an extended drive every few weeks? You might want to get a battery tender to be a little nicer to your battery.

Probably the more important thing is that you should treat fluid replacement intervals as time based and not mileage.

 

Good point. It’s outside for now but we’re moving soon and it will be garaged after that.

 

I put 200 miles on it last Friday and Saturday. I’ll be taking it to the woods at least 1-2 times per week from now until winter. We’re also moving soon and I’ll be 25-30 miles from work, so my weekly drives to work will be more effective. Sounds like I just need to keep mice and squirrels out of it for the next few months and I’ll be golden.

 

If you've got power nearby then one of these will make your occasionally driven vehicle very happy:

$35 Battery Tender Junior 12V, 750mA Charger and Maintainer: Automatic 12V Powersports for Motorcycle, ATVs, and More - Smarter Than a Trickle Charger - 021-0123

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S

 

I wouldn't worry about a trickle charger as long if you drive it every 3-4 weeks. Driving it only 5 miles might be worse for the engine than not driving it at all because the water temperature might not reach 180F; this is hard on an engine and causes accelerated cylinder wear. Granted, it isn't the end of the world, but far from ideal. I typically only drive my truck once a week, but it's a 50-90 mile trip one way.